1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to illumination and ventilation devices. More particularly, the present invention relates to combination light fixture, and heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) ducts having advertising panels and useful for public transportation vehicles.
2. Description of the Related Art
Providing adequate light, comfortable conditions, and advertising locations within public transportation vehicles such as buses, while additionally avoiding interference with the driver""s ability to safely operate the vehicle has been the goal of previous inventors. Light fixtures, which provide light for passengers to read or move about the aisle, must not interfere with the driver""s ability to see out the windows. Efficient air duct systems are necessary to move heated or cooled air around the vehicle for the comfort of the passengers. The owners of such vehicles typically like to generate additional revenue by allowing advertisers to display information about their products within the vehicle, thereby enhancing the revenue generated by operating the vehicle. The present inventor has provided a combination light fixture/HVAC duct/advertising panel combining ease of installation, ease of servicing, ease of access to the various components, safety, and proper light distribution in his previous invention, U.S. Pat. No. 6,082,879, issued Jul. 4, 2000 and hereby incorporated by reference. The present invention includes inventive improvements made by the present inventor over his previous inventive combination light fixture/HVAC duct/advertising panel disclosed in his previous patent referenced above. It would be desirable to provide an improved system which is more attractive in design, has fewer parts, is more easily accessible for maintenance, is less expensive to construct, is easily installed on a larger variety of vehicle configurations, and provides for ventilation to passengers along the length of the fixture.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,419,717, issued Dec. 6, 1983, to Price et al. describes a ceiling supported light fixture wherein the ballast is mounted on the inside of the light housing.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,752,760, issued May 19, 1998, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,857,758, issued Jan. 12, 1999, both to Dealey, Jr. et al. describe a combination air duct, lighting system, and advertising panel for a mass-transit vehicle which includes a light source with its top portion attached to the ceiling of the vehicle and its bottom portion attached to an advertising panel for holding advertising cards. During assembly, an adhesive glue may be used instead of other fastening means to hold the end fittings of the panel in place.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,121,166, issued Sep. 19, 2000, to Wood et al., describes a double-sided pressure sensitive adhesive that may be used to bond relatively flat articles on surfaces using pinch rollers.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,176,747 B1, issued Jan. 23, 2001, to Rowe et al. describes a cover for concealing screws with a hole for accessing the screws.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus a combination light fixture/HVAC duct/advertising cardholder having the above-mentioned improvements is desired.
The improved combination light fixture/HVAC duct/advertising card holder for a mass transit vehicle has, in one embodiment, a roof mounted light fixture. This embodiment has a single panel formed to provide a display area for advertising cards and serving as an air duct having a duct lower wall which contains air vents for delivering air to passengers and is removably fastened to a wall by means of a flange and fasteners. The panel is supported by a detachable hinge at the overhead light housing for easy access to the air duct.
Another embodiment provides a lamp housing spaced from the wall by a horizontal duct lower wall having air vents and attached by an extrusion having formed an electrical wiring trough for placement of wiring for the light fixtures. The lamp housing, on its inboard side has a detachable hinge for supporting the advertising display panel. The display panel is supported at its upper end by a bracket supported by the roof and having removable fasteners covered by a strip having access holes. The bracket and the detachable hinge are extrusions which are attached to upper and lower edges of the display panel by means of double-sided adhesive tape and which also include opposing slots for receiving advertising cards. The light fixture has a ballast mounted on a ballast plate which is accessible by removing the lens and lamp and which has access to a fuse and LED status readout. The ballast plate and ballast may be removed through the interior of the light fixture housing for replacement without accessing the air duct. Interior vertical hanger straps support the light fixture. The display panel is supported at its upper end by a bracket supported by the roof and having removable fasteners covered by a strip having access holes.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a combination light fixture/HVAC duct/and advertising card display panel having an attractive and simple design.
It is another object of the invention to provide a system as above which may fit a large variety of public transportation vehicle configurations.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a system as above which provides easy access for maintenance, and advertising card changing.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a system as above which provides ventilation along its length to passengers.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a system as above incorporating multi duty extrusions to provide for advertising panel detachable hinging, removable securing slots for mounting advertising cards, and a wiring trough for neatly holding necessary electrical wiring for the light fixtures.
Still another object of the invention is to employ double-sided tape for ease in attachment of panels to extrusions and cardholders.
It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.
These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.